This property has a documented history as a industrial and manufacturing facility going back to 1940. Historical insurance policies issued during those prior operations and through 1986 could fund a cleanup — and recover costs already spent.

Why Historical Insurance Policies May Be Accessible

Pre-1986 Commercial General Liability (CGL) policies were occurrence-based and did not contain an effective pollution exclusion in Washington. If contamination occurred while those policies were active, those historical insurance carriers may still have a legal obligation to fund the cleanup costs, even if the business closed or the property changed hands.

The contamination at this property — cadmium, hexavalent chromium, mercury, and chlorinated solvents including TCE and PCE — originated from electroplating and degreasing operations that ran for more than two decades before 1986, when occurrence-based CGL policies were still the standard and carried no effective pollution exclusion. Historical carriers who issued policies to Metal Laundry or its dry-cleaning predecessor during that operational window may be obligated both to recover the substantial remediation costs already incurred and to fund the active groundwater cleanup that remains unfinished.

Restorical's role is to locate viable historical policies, determine whether a successful coverage claim is possible, and assist our clients and their legal counsel to obtain insurance coverage. Restorical then manages the claim, including accounting, to ensure the cleanup is funded in a timely manner.